Advise needed in NC

April 1, 2005

Your brother's regular doctor handled this poorly. However, I wouldn't make

the statement the specialist made either.

Regardless of whether your brother decides to do the treatment or not, he

has to cease ALL consumption of alcohol.

The treatment really sucks and it only works about half of the time. And

what the doctors mean by " works " is that there is less than a two percent

chance of a relapse. In other words, if your brother chooses to do the

treatment and the treatment is successful, he will only be tempting fate if

begins to consume any alcohol whatsoever.

By the way, did anyone bother to genotype the virus?

Doug

> Advise needed in NC

>

> She explained that whether he took the treatment, or didn't

> take the treatment and never drank alcohol again that there

> would be no difference between the two.

April 1, 2005

Hi Donna

I think and its only my opinion that IF he is stage

2-3, he should treat... Yes, this stuff moves slowly

but if he is using alcohol of anykind, it will move

quicker...

The arthritis is caused by the hep...Hes sort of stuck

inbetween a rock and a hard spot...

Did they tell you what genotype he is ? If he is

gento type 2, his treatment is only 24 weeks instead

of 48 or longer.. How old is he? There is a lot to

consider and he certainly can stop drinking and treat

his liver really well and quite possibly do quite well

for many years...its a hard decision to make..

I was geno 1a with stage 3-4 with early cirrhosis and

I DID treat, I cleared and am still clear 2 years

AFTER finishing tx... and my stage has reversed to 0-1

BUT I am left with disabling problems from TREATMENT!

Its hard to say!!

Best of luck and let us know how he does!!

jax

--- mamaapp wrote:

>

> Hi everyone, I'm new. I just joined the group

> yesterday when I had a

> brain storm to search for support groups for Hep C.

> My youngest brother was diagnosed with Hep C a while

> back by his

> regular physician. Before he even had a liver

> biopsy the regular

> physician advised him that he would need the

> treatment and had him

> scared half to death. He was sent for a liver

> biopsy Nov. 5, 2004.

> The doctor's office never contacted him with the

> results. Finally,

> two days before Christmas he called the doctor's

> office and spoke

> with a nurse who told him that he was in stage 3

> liver damage. This

> news upset him something terrible and made Christmas

> miserable. He

> and the whole family have worried ourselves sick

> over the prospect of

> the treatment. He just went to the specialist

> yesterday thinking

> this is it, now I'm going to start the treatment.

> The specialist

> told him that he is in the very early stages of

> stage 3, he does have

> some scarring, that his blood work is good, that his

> liver is

> functioning properly and that if he never drinks

> another drop of

> alcohol that he has many many years of life left.

> She said that Hep

> C progresses at a very slow rate but that the

> alcohol will accelerate

> the process. She explained that whether he took the

> treatment, or

> didn't take the treatment and never drank alcohol

> again that there

> would be no difference between the two. I took this

> as WONDERFUL

> news! It literally was God answering my prayers.

> However, my

> brother is pretty confused and upset with the doctor

> and thinks he

> should see a different doctor! I believe he is

> thinking that he has

> no choice but to take the treatment and that for

> some reason the

> doctor just want let him. He has a very demanding

> physical job, he's

> tired a lot and he also suffers from arthritis in

> his back therefore

> he's in pain quite frequently. He made the

> statement that he is

> tired of being tired and in pain all the time. He

> feels that taking

> the treatment would eventually eliminate the

> tiredness and I also

> think that he feels being on the treatment would

> some how give him

> the strength to avoid alcohol where he hasn't been

> able to find that

> strength as of yet.

> Can anyone offer any advise or words of

> encouragement?

>

> Thanks in advance,

> Donna

>

Jackie

April 1, 2005

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired when I got diagnosed ... took

the treatment and to tell the truth, I was feeling so rotten before

treatment that I wasn't feeling all that different while on it (with the

exception of the riba rage which when the Dr put me on Celexa was

manageable) --- now, 6 months post-treatment, I feel fine (and just a

little proud --- I'm amazed that as rotten as I felt, I had the gumption to

attempt to fight the dragon and stay the course of therapy) --- not trying

to blow my own horn, but just to tell you that your words made me identify

w/ your brother; May everything resolve well for you both.

As far as another Dr. -- Go For It!! Your brother, not the Dr, has his

best medical interests at heart -- Your brother is the onsite expert of His

Long Term Care -- all you want/need from the Dr is sufficient data to make

as informed as possible decisions.

We're with you.

Lu.

At 04:50 PM 4/1/2005 +0000, you wrote:

>Hi everyone, I'm new. I just joined the group yesterday when I had a

>brain storm to search for support groups for Hep C.

>My youngest brother was diagnosed with Hep C a while back by his

>regular physician. Before he even had a liver biopsy the regular

>physician advised him that he would need the treatment and had him

>scared half to death. He was sent for a liver biopsy Nov. 5, 2004.

>The doctor's office never contacted him with the results. Finally,

>two days before Christmas he called the doctor's office and spoke

>with a nurse who told him that he was in stage 3 liver damage. This

>news upset him something terrible and made Christmas miserable. He

>and the whole family have worried ourselves sick over the prospect of

>the treatment. He just went to the specialist yesterday thinking

>this is it, now I'm going to start the treatment. The specialist

>told him that he is in the very early stages of stage 3, he does have

>some scarring, that his blood work is good, that his liver is

>functioning properly and that if he never drinks another drop of

>alcohol that he has many many years of life left. She said that Hep

>C progresses at a very slow rate but that the alcohol will accelerate

>the process. She explained that whether he took the treatment, or

>didn't take the treatment and never drank alcohol again that there

>would be no difference between the two. I took this as WONDERFUL

>news! It literally was God answering my prayers. However, my

>brother is pretty confused and upset with the doctor and thinks he

>should see a different doctor! I believe he is thinking that he has

>no choice but to take the treatment and that for some reason the

>doctor just want let him. He has a very demanding physical job, he's

>tired a lot and he also suffers from arthritis in his back therefore

>he's in pain quite frequently. He made the statement that he is

>tired of being tired and in pain all the time. He feels that taking

>the treatment would eventually eliminate the tiredness and I also

>think that he feels being on the treatment would some how give him

>the strength to avoid alcohol where he hasn't been able to find that

>strength as of yet.

>Can anyone offer any advise or words of encouragement?

>

>Thanks in advance,

>Donna

>

>It's a pleasure having you join in our conversations. We hope you have

>found the support you need with us.

>

>If you are using email for your posts, for easy access to our group, just

>click the link-- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hepatitis_C_Central/

>

>Happy Posting

>

April 1, 2005

I can only tell you of my experiences over the past 8 years of

having stage 3 and my use and results of having treatment for theses

years. When I first started out I was at 5 million copies. Blood

work was through the roof. I have been on different forms of

treatment with interferons for all these years and today my

bloodwork is normal my count is 10. I have supplimented my treatment

with a protocol of alternative medicine. But yes there were those

times when I was ready to quit. But I kept on with the treatment. My

biopsies as compared to baseline are the same. My bloodwork is

mormal. My quality of life as far as HCV is better.

There are no hard facts that in the combination of your brothers

level of the disease that the sevrity and slowness of the

progression of his disease will be slow or fast. Thats where you

need the guidance of a Hepatologist you feel comfortable with. To

monitor the course of this disease on or off treatment.

Your brothers issues can and are different as we all are different.

I would try and locate a specialist (Hepatologist) who can guide in

a specialized manner to your options. And offer a path to allow you

choose and redirect a researched manner of making a decission.

The one thing I have noticed with myself is the stopping of any form

of alcohol was one of the many factors to improve my condition. The

Liver converts alcohol into many chemicals that can be and are

harmful to the molecular structure of the liver and your body with

HCV and Liver disease. So even a little can be harmful to the Liver.

From my reading, research, and doctors it is shown that there may be

some corolation between treatment and allowing the liver to not heal

but not get any worse.

So follow logic here not emotions to gather your information and act

on it as you deem best with your doctor to be the best course of

action.

I suffer from Osteo Arthitis and many other ailments also but their

symptoms may be hightened by the HCV.

I hope he sees the light through his eyes and professional guidance

and he makes the decission through a good mixture of Professional

experienced medical professionals and his head and heart to possibly

overcome the stage of his illness and emotional health.

Prayers and hope

Fred

Hi everyone, I'm new. I just joined the group yesterday when I had a